Devices made of some form of resilient material have long been employed on various types of watercraft as "boat fenders", to serve as a cushioning mechanism when such watercraft are likely to come into physical contract with adjacent docks, pilings, piers, other watercraft. On heavy commercial vessels and fishing boats, tugboats, trawlers, and the like, such fenders often take the form of used automotive tires lashed together and suspended over the side if the vessel, to prevent damage which might result from contact with docks, piers, moorings or other vessels. On pleasure craft, from small runabouts to larger cruisers and yachts, cushioning boat fenders are also widely utilized to prevent damage from contact with adjacent structures or other vessels, which fenders are generally of more sophisticated designs and constructions. Presently used boat fenders are of many shapes, designs and colors. Typical boat fenders are often of elongate or spherical shape, and the other surface is usually smooth, to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the eye, and to prevent marring or damage to the surfaces of the vessel on which they are used. Boat fenders are commonly constructed of an elastomeric material, typically a flexible or semi-flexible plastic, e.g., a heavy gauge polyvinyl chloride, vinyl plastisol, or similarly flexible and resilient resin; sometimes with ends of solid polyvinyl chloride, vinyl plastisol, or similar materials, for greater strength and reinforcement in highly stressed areas. Most are hollow and inflatable to better absorb shocks, bumps or jolts, although occassionally fenders may be constructed of a solid elastomeric or resilient foam material. Many are designed, or shaped, to roll instead of rubbing against the vessel's hull sides, thereby maximizing protection to the hull. Some fenders are provided with covers of cloth fabric or other materials, in order to preserve the appearance of the fender itself, as well as to further minimize the likelihood of the fender causing damage to the hull. Many are designed to hang vertically, horizontally, or attached together to increase the area of protection without resorting to the use of fender boards. Usually, fenders are suapended from the rails on the deck of a vessel, from the gunwales, or from attachments on the hull sides. Various types of ropes are used as fender lines to suspend fenders, and attachment to the point of suspension is usually effected by tying a knot to fasten the line to the suspension point, or by equipping the end of the line with an eye-splice loop which is then set over a hook or cleat or other similar hardware device to hold the line.
One difficulty with present boat fenders is that the rope hangs from the fender in unsightly and potentially dangerous fashion when the fender is removed from use and is stored. Fenders are often stored in metal racks on the deck of a vessel, and even when secured in such racks or in a compartment, the full loose length of the rope used to fasten the fender to the rail, post, or cleat during normal use can hang from the fender and often falls into piles on the deck or floor of the storage area, thus presenting, at best, an unsightly appearance not in keeping with proper shipboard housingkeeping, and representing a potential tripping or entanglement hazard to passersby.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,427, which was issued Oct. 24, 1989, to Rano J. Harris, Jr., discloses apparatus intended to deal with the problem of loose or unsightly attachment lines on boat fenders by creating a cavity within a boat fender for storage of such lines. The present invention is an improvement thereover, providing a solution to the line storage problem in simpler and more reliable form.